Cebu (Nov. 2-3)

I guess my dad found it funny to leave more than 20 photos of me just floating like an otter on my camera & iPhone... Ridiculous.

The best Japanese food at Fiji 

Thanks to my sister Riz for taking the last few photos from the resort.

❧

Right after the Halloween festivities I had to prepare my things for a shoot in Cebu. Sam was kind enough to lend me some dresses as I had no time to shop, plus Mia agreed to lend me one of her kaftans for the group photo. I was on the brink of having a panic attack since I didn't own any white outfit/dress! Aside from a few pairs of heels I just stashed all the items from my closet that I thought could pass as resort wear. Because of the hastened packing I forgot to bring normal-day clothes and a swim suit! Right after this trip I promised myself never to pack on the last minute since it sucks having to avoid people & places just cos of my outfits (yes, that bad).

The first few photos were taken at the Cebu Yacht Club last Nov. 2 while we were shooting for a spread for Zee Lifestyle. I can't disclose any details about it yet, but it was loads of fun despite having to endure shooting for hours under the sun. It felt like one of the hottest days ever and I really pitied our photographer because unlike us, he couldn't take breaks. We even transformed Mia's car into our holding area since the place where we had our hair & makeup done was an open-air dining area without any electricity. I'm only realizing how hard the set-up was as I'm writing this down! I guess none of us complained since we spent hours having fun talking to one another, plus Mikey kept making us sing so he could record it. Can't wait for the feature to come out this December- the photos are so nice and it made the entire day of sweating [and praying we don't get heat strokes] all worth it. 

Vito invited us to his new pad that night for some drinks. He designed the interiors  including the furniture and I just love it! He's leasing it out starting next year since he's moving to another country. The photos don't do it any justice because I took them at night under low-light conditions with the awful zoom/kit lens (primes are the way to go). I already envy whoever's going to live there. It's a 2-bedroom flat with a great kitchen, plus I love the photographs & decor. 

For the rest of my stay my mum decided to take us to Plantation Bay. Back in high school my friends and I would frequent this resort just so we could use the game room, swim, bike around or wall climb. This time I just wanted to tan, veg out by the porch and swim. Love that the lagoon was a mere 10 steps from my bed- yes, our porch had stairs leading straight to the water! I can't really choose which resort in Cebu's my favorite because each one has something I really get attached to. For Plantation Bay, it's got to be the easy access to the swimming area and the best Japanese food at Fiji . 

I can't wait to visit Cebu again! Will definitely bring along some friends so we can all beach-hop or island-hop. It's always nice to take a break from all the cooking and cleaning (almost unbelievable how I'm not used to having household help available 24/7 anymore). Plus I already miss my mum's cooking- nothing will ever beat that.

❤